Why did North Philly shift toward Trump in 2024? ‘Social issues do not feed your family'
This article is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism with lead support from the William Penn Foundation, and additional funding from Lenfest, Comcast NBC Universal, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
North Philadelphia voters swung farther for Donald Trump in 2024 from 2020 than in most other parts of the city. Though from a low base, that's a consequential change in the biggest voting block in a key swing state.
As the second Trump presidency begins, Technical.ly sent comedian TaTa Sherise to Broad and Erie to find out whether the economy was a driving factor in that shift.
Check out the video to hear directly what residents had to say.
While overall turnout in Philadelphia in November 2024 was slightly lower than four years prior (65% vs. 66%, per city data), an Inquirer analysis of votes cast found a significant shift in support for the Republican candidate since the first time he ran for office.
Between 2016 and 2024, Trump's share of the vote increased nearly 5 percentage points across the city (from 15.4% to 20.1%). The biggest jump came in Latino-majority neighborhoods, where support nearly tripled, but it also happened in majority-Black precincts, which went from 2.6% to 6.3%.
Sherise, Technical.ly's first creator in residence, talked to a wide variety of people on that street corner in the weeks leading up to Inauguration Day, from 30-something professionals to 50-year-old neighborhood stans. Not everyone cited finances as a reason, but several called it out as a possible reason — even if they hadn't voted for Trump themselves.
'They wanted those stimulus checks,' one woman answered.
Another woman gave a similar answer, while noting the idea came from a false assumption — one that appeared to be prevalent around the country.
'I heard a lot of people saying, 'Oh yeah, I want to vote for Trump because Trump was, you know, Trump gave us like $1,500,' ' the woman told Sherise. 'But really, it wasn't Trump, y'all! It was not Trump — it was Congress.'
Legislators appropriated the money for the first round of COVID-era stimulus checks, sent in March and December of 2020. But President Trump signed the bill legalizing the outlay and made sure to get his personal signature on the checks. A third round of stimulus checks went out in March 2021, under the Biden administration.
Another one of Sherise's interviewees called out economic factors in a different way, pointing not to Trump's or the Republican party's beneficence, but the Democratic party's neglect.
'Over the last four years, I think a lot of people grew tired of not having certain things they expected from the Democratic Party. It's like they took your vote, then forgot about you,' he said. 'Social issues do not feed your family.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Libya Observer
7 hours ago
- Libya Observer
US travel ban on Libyans and citizens of 11 other countries takes effect
The executive order signed by US President Donald Trump officially came into effect on Monday morning, barring nationals from 12 countries—including Libya—from entering the United States. Last Wednesday, the White House announced in a statement that President Trump had signed an executive order restricting the entry of nationals from the following 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The White House justified the decision by saying the U.S. administration had conducted a thorough risk assessment of these countries, particularly regarding terrorism and national security. The statement explained that the listed countries fail to meet the necessary security requirements and pose a significant threat to the United States. In Libya's case specifically, the White House said the complete suspension of travel by Libyan nationals was due to the absence of a central, competent, and cooperative authority responsible for issuing passports and civil documents. It added: 'A history of terrorist activity within Libyan territory increases the risk of admitting its nationals into the US.' Despite the ban, the statement noted exceptions for individuals holding valid permanent residency or visas, specific visa categories, and individuals whose entry serves US national interests. As for implementation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a diplomatic cable providing instructions to American diplomatic missions on how consular officers should handle visa applications from nationals of the banned countries. Tags: USA Travel Ban US President Donald Trump
Technical.ly
4 days ago
- Technical.ly
Commerce Department nixes ‘safety' in NIST AI institute rebrand
President Trump's cabinet continues to overhaul federal programs and initiatives, with some recent AI-related moves hitting the Department of Commerce. Secretary Howard Lutnick announced that the AI Safety Institute will now be called the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI). In addition to removing 'safety' from the title of the agency, which was created under the Biden administration in 2023 to set AI standards and guidance, CAISI will pivot to focus more on national security risks and global competitiveness. 'For far too long, censorship and regulations have been used under the guise of national security. Innovators will no longer be limited by these standards,' Lutnick said in a press release. 'CAISI will evaluate and enhance U.S. innovation of these rapidly developing commercial AI systems while ensuring they remain secure to our national security standards.' The Commerce Department did not respond to request for comment, including to provide examples of 'censorship.' CAISI also houses a consortium, established in 2024, of more than 200 companies and organizations that was originally created to develop science-based safety standards for AI operation and design. The group, known as the US AI Safety Institute Consortium, includes several universities and startups from throughout the Mid-Atlantic. That group remains in operation following this announcement, but there are suspicions that it will shut down, according to a person with knowledge about the consortium. CAISI and the consortium's formation under the previous administration was spurred by an executive order by former President Joe Biden, which the Trump administration revoked during his early days in office. Priorities for this newly-renamed government body include plans to ink voluntary agreements with AI developers and companies that can pinpoint risks to national security. That strategy isn't entirely new. Under the Biden administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology — the regulatory agency, housed under the Commerce Department, that hosts CAISI — signed memoranda of understanding to undergo AI safety research with US-based AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. In these new evaluations, CAISI will prioritize looking at use cases in cybersecurity and chemical weapons, per the release. CAISI leadership will also collaborate with the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and intelligence agencies to 'conduct evaluations and assessments.' This move comes as states are grappling with how to regulate AI. Nearby Virginia did not follow through with passing blanket legislation regulating the technology, and House Republicans are torn over a federal budget provision that would ban states from regulating AI for a decade.
Libya Observer
4 days ago
- Libya Observer
Trump bans citizens of Libya and 11 other countries from entering the US
US President Donald Trump has announced a new entry ban targeting citizens of 12 predominantly Muslim, Arab, and African countries, including Libya. Trump cited national security concerns as the basis for the decision, which restricts entry for citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. He said the move was prompted by a recent attack at a rally in Boulder, Colorado, carried out by a man who, according to authorities, had entered the US illegally. In a video message, Trump said: 'The recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, highlighted the severe risks our country faces from foreign nationals entering without thorough vetting.' Trump explained that the entry restrictions were largely based on issues such as visa overstays by citizens of certain countries, the failure of some states to implement adequate screening procedures, and the refusal of several governments to repatriate their nationals who violated immigration laws. He emphasized that such behavior would no longer be tolerated and reiterated his commitment to holding these countries accountable. Tags: US President Donald Trump
